Hobbies for Happiness!
When someone asks us what we like to do outside of work, we usually have a few standard responses we will give. “Oh I enjoy traveling, reading, watching TV, spending time with my family, etc.” The majority of these are not hobbies, however. A hobby takes things a step further and usually involves us developing a skill or creating something. Some people have hobbies of knife-making, car fixing, weight-lifting, video-making, or makeup art. These are skills people have learned that they enjoy doing that create some sort of finished product. Having a hobby along these lines boosts our self-esteem, as we feel good at something, and give us the “success” hormones of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, which make us happier. They reduce our stress, give us a sense of purpose, and give us pride.
Hobbies involve a commitment to a chosen activity. We can enjoy painting pottery, but if we only do it a couple of times per year it isn’t our current hobby. Hobbies can cost us money depending on the equipment, classes, or ingredients we need, so it is important to pick a hobby within our means. I would genuinely love to go skydiving everyday, but without a private jet or a fortune I am better off finding something else and skydiving on birthdays. Hobbies also can take up varying amounts of time, so it is important to be sure you are able to enjoy your hobby without neglecting your responsibilities. If your hobby involves full-day long activities and can’t be done nearer to your house or in your random spare time, such as skiing or cave exploration, it might be best to find an additional hobby. Your hobby should be something that you can work on a little bit each day, or for hours at a time when you have the opportunity and wish to do so.
Sometimes, you can even make money from your hobby! If you enjoy knitting, you could sell or donate your extra finished products so that others can enjoy them. If you enjoy building computers, you can offer to friends, coworkers, and family members to do so for them for a small fee. If you enjoy writing, you can submit articles to independent web publishers and be paid for your work. If it truly makes you happy, a hobby doesn’t have to be something that takes up a lot of your time and money, as for many that is a burden and they don’t have those things to offer.
Write a list of things you genuinely enjoy doing. Don’t think of it in terms of plausibility, just activities you have found yourself enjoying over the years. Mine would be zip lining, skydiving, swimming, baking cakes, painting canvasses (poorly), singing karaoke, decorating, and any fiction reading and writing. Some of these I can do very regularly and cheaply, some involve more planning, time and money. It is important to vary the hobbies you have to include a wide variety of your interests and to plan them for what works best for you. Some you can plan to do yearly on special occasions. Find one, maybe two, that are easy for you to do regularly, that you really feel good at and enjoy, and that can be built into your lifestyle in a positive way. Then, make it a priority to develop that hobby further and keep it a part of your week and life. If applicable, explain to your spouse that you wish to spend time on a new hobby to keep yourself happy and grow your personal skills, and that you wish to devote x amount of time on x days to doing so. Plan this as much as necessary to be sure it does not cause conflict to your work, chore, or family schedule, and also to make sure that time is reserved in advance for you and not constantly taken away. If you find your hobby to be long distance cycling, perhaps start by training for a bit everyday early in the mornings before work, and then every few weeks or so joining a group and going on a day-long bike trip. This way, you can enjoy the activity regularly and also get to look forward to using that skill further.
We all like to say that we don’t have any extra time in our schedules or can’t afford to add anything to our days. But we really can’t afford not to. If we don’t get to spend at least some portion of our day indulging in an activity that makes us happy, boosts our self-esteem, and fulfills us, we end up far less productive anyways. Life becomes monotonous, we don’t see our purpose, and we don’t have anything we can be proud of. Having a passion gives us something to live for and naturally helps us put more effort into the tasks we must do. It also is a good thing for our kids to see that we get to enjoy things as well, and the better mood we are in around them the better they develop too. We’re all good at something, or at the very least have an interest in becoming good. Remember to take care of yourself with whatever small amount of time and money you can find in your life, and you will see vast improvement all throughout!
Kyndal Sims
Birch Psychology
Resources
https://headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbies
https://7summitpathways.com/blog/hobbies-and-mental-health/
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-hobbies-for-stress-relief-3144574
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/how-to-find-a-hobby
